“I just missed the ball”: Guerrero on costly error in Blue Jays loss

Nothing seems to be going right these days for Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

In the fifth inning of yesterday’s game against the Kansas City Royals, Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman looked like he was one out away from getting through five shutout innings.

With Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel hitting what looked like a regular ground ball to Toronto’s Isiah Kiner-Falefa, the inning would’ve been over had Guerrero simply caught the ball.

But the ball ended up bouncing off the Toronto first baseman’s glove, therefore extending the inning as Isbel reached first safely, with the runner from second coming into the score.

Kevin Gausman got the ground ball he needed and IKF made a fine play here, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr. didn’t catch it.

I thought it might have gone through the webbing again, but nope… Just plain missed it. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/MBfFhRlQqK

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) April 24, 2024

Kansas City then ended up scoring two more runs in the inning by way of a two-run double by Bobby Witt Jr. once the rally stayed alive. Those runs ended up being the difference maker, with Toronto falling by a 3-2 score on the evening.

“What can I say? I just missed the ball. Period,” Guerrero told the media through an interpreter postgame, as per MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.

It hasn’t exactly been the best season for the Toronto slugger at the plate, either, as he’s hitting just .217 with an OPS of .681, both of which are well below his career averages.

But despite the tough mistake, Guerrero’s teammates seem to have his back.

“There’s nothing more I can do about it now,” Gausman said. “It stinks, but I still want Vladdy as my first baseman. I’m very confident in his ability over there, that’s why it stinks. That’s the game, unfortunately. We’re playing really good baseball and it’s unfortunate that it ended up being as important as it was.”

At 13-11, Toronto sits in a two-way tie with the Boston Red Sox for third place in the American League East.

The Blue Jays return to action tonight for the second matchup of the series against the Royals, with first pitch set for 7:40 pm ET.

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